Inner Freedom

I have been thinking about freedom lately. The freedom our spiritual bodies feel. Most of the time we feel the constriction of our physical bodies with inflexibility, sickness or lethargy. We try to overcome this by exercising and eating healthy. Once we get to the deeper level of mind and spirit, it is not that easy to set up a plan and see its progression.

I practice meditation and pray to God. That is the time I get to check in with myself and see the condition of my spirit. I desire for the freedom of my spirit. One way to achieve that stage is to practice "non-attachment". For example, when someone say something hurtful to you, you feel bad. You choose to get attached to the things he says to you and develop negative emotion in yourself. We get attached to many things or people in this world. We are afraid of losing them. We are bound by these things and can't feel free from them.

When we ponder or meditate, we watch our minds and learn to focus on one thing. Once we feel the stillness of the mind, we can apply this to everything we encounter in life. We watch the thoughts and mind and direct it to the desired place. We detach ourselves from outside world and look inward. And this is practicing yoga.

My spirit desire to be free. One day maybe this desire would even disappear and then I would truly be free!

Yoga Training Part Two

When Baba was on the computer the other day, I said to him, "Your neck is out of alignment. Bring your head back to align with your shoulders." After that, I chuckled with a sense of accomplishment. How interesting people change with the things they learn. I would not pay much attention to body alignment a year ago. As a yoga teacher, I learn about human body. Besides the physical body, I also try to discover the subtle/astral/spiritual body.

I grew up at church and learned about not judging others by their appearance. Studying yoga philosophy helps reinforce this quality. Very Often we describe ourselves using such terms like, "I'm tall. I'm rich. I'm beautiful" Are these the right description for our true self? After peeling off the physical layer of "I", which is the body, how would we describe ourselves then? This is very interesting when we think this way with our spiritual eyes. It is so easy to lose ourselves in this material world. The things we see, the people we know, the life we create can all become the obstacles to discover our true self. We become what people see in us, we become what we create for ourselves, we become someone that we don't really know or like. So how can we distinguish our true self from all the other forms we see?

First, we have to have faith, to believe that the true self exist. We have spiritual body that will exist through eternity. This true self has unlimited potential to become like God.

Second, we find a path to help us. For some, it could be studying the scriptures, praying to God; for others, it could be meditation, practicing yoga. No matter what we choose, it takes a sincere heart, steady and long-lasting effort to progress.

After we see our true self, even just a glimpse; after we taste the sweetness of God's love; after we realize the energy that flows beyond our physical eyes, WE SERVE. We serve ourselves, we serve others and we serve God.

Gradually, the little light in us will shine brighter and brighter. It brings us wisdom, tranquility, happiness, contentment and love.

Now I see people differently. When I come across someone, I would try to get to know the person inside of him, instead of the one I see outside. I feel I am in a different world when I do that. It makes me feel good. I see more and I feel more. I feel less confusion and my mind is calmer.

Yoga Training Part One

The first thing some friends asked me was, "Did you lose some weight?" Sorry I had to disappoint them with a no. Actually my triceps are getting bigger. I can do yoga push-ups quite perfectly I believe. ^_^ Most people think yoga is about exercise and that's not wrong at all but there is a lot more in yoga. I learned the true meaning of yoga through my training and I'd like to share with you what I have learned.

"Yoga is the stopping of the mental fluctuations of the mind stuff." said Patanjali. The mind flies to every direction all day long and most of us can't control our mind. Yoga is about focusing the mind and bring stillness and calmness to the soul. Meditation is a great way to achieve yoga. However, it's hard to sit for a long period of time if you don't have a healthy body. This is where the postures (asanas) come from. By performing all these yoga postures, our strength, flexibility and general health is improved. So all these practices are preparing the body to meditate and bring the mind to tranquility and balance.

Of course for people who are not interested in meditation, they can still get the benefits of doing the asanas(postures). I learned to focus on my own practice. It does not matter if I can or can not do certain postures. It's the feeling I have while I'm practicing that matters. We often try to compare or compete with others in real life. The result of that is unhappiness and endless desires. We only need to focus on ourselves. Concentrate on our own practice and then we will grow and improve.